AUSUBEL’S Meaningful Verbal Learning

Many educational theories often criticize the expositive manner of teaching. They say that teachers
assume such a major role in learning as providers of information, while students remain as passive
receivers of information. David Ausubel proposed ways of improving the teacher’s educational
practices. He suggested the use of advance organizers.

FOCUS of AUSUBEL’s Theory

1. Knowledge is hierarchially organized; that the new info is meaningful to the extent that it
can be RELATED to what is already known
2. Individuals learn large amount of meaningful materials from verbal/textual presentations
(use of ADVANCE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS)
3. Quantity, Clarity and Organization of the learners’ present knowledge (COGNITIVE
STRUCTURE): most important factor influencing learning
4. Before new material can be presented effectively, cognitive structure should be
strengthened (Use of Graphic Organizers – BIRD’s eye view)

Ausubel’s belief of the use of advance organizers is anchored on the principle of subsumption: a
process by which new material is related to relevant ideas in the existing cognitive structure. This
implies that one’s own prior knowledge and biases limit and affect what is learned. Meaningful
learning, according to Ausubel, can take place through four processes of sumsumption:

1. Derivative Subsumption (describes the situation in which the new info is an example of a
concept that one has learned)
2. Correlative Subsumption.( accommodating new info and expanding concept)
3. Superordinate learning (one may not know apparently the concept, until they were taught
of)
4. Combinatorial learning. ((newly acquired knowledge combines with prior knowledge to
enrich the understanding of concepts (learning by analogy)

Application of Ausubel’s Theory to Instruction

1. Active Review (Linking the past to the present)
2. Interactive Teaching (HOTS to enhance learning through subsumption)
3. Use of advance organizer (Visual graphic helps organization of thoughts)
4. Practice of Progressive Differentiation (General ideas should be presented first and then
go details and specificity) and Integrative Reconciliation (the extreme)